Word of the Week: Garrulous

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

This one’s another word I picked off the vocabulary flashcard stack. Though I haven’t used it much myself yet, I like the word “garrulous” for the way it sounds. It’s kind of a poetic way to define someone who talks too much, which I’m sure we all could have used at least once in our lives. Such “garrulous” acquaintances make great inspiration for chatty characters, don’t you think?

A “garrulous” person is someone who talks in excess, usually about matters of little importance. The word comes from the Latin adjective garrulus, meaning “talkative”. This adjective stems from the verb garrire, which means “to chatter” or “to prattle”.

The word “garrulous” is similar to another adjective I’ve featured in my vocabulary segment before: “loquacious“. The difference between these adjectives is that the excessive talkativeness in “loquacious” is implied, whereas in “garrulous” it’s explicit. Either word is good for defining characters who talk too much, so it’s up to you to decide how apparent you want their loquacity to be. If you know people who can’t stop chattering, then you should have no trouble finding inspiration for a few “garrulous” characters for your stories. Good luck!

What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?